Cookies and Carrots
by MaApDpNlEeSsS
Summary: Hikari and Elliot's relationship might have had a bit of a rough start, but it's been a while, and now they've settled down as friends. But when Hikari gets a chance to see the real Elliot, will something in her heart change for the better? Throw in a cup of mischief, a cup of baddies, and a teaspoon of cuteness, and you have a recipe for a romance!
1. Injury and Icing

**ME: Hi everyone! Mad-chan here! This is my Hikari x Elliot FF that a lot of people suggested, and I am happy to say that I am excited!**

**Hikari: YAY! **

**Elliot: Hell yeah!**

**ME: Looks like everyone is excited! Well, I don't wanna say much, considering all I had to say I've already established on my other side-story-starter stories, so…**

**R&R**

**Just a heads up, it's entirely in Hikari's POV, unless I state otherwise, then I will let you know when it changes back**

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><p>It was a rather lazy and slow shift at the Bakery for me, as I sit up at the front desk, spinning around and around in slow circles in my chair to relieve at least a little bit of my boredom. My navy and black earphones hang from my ears, hooked up to my phone in my pocket (Since all it can do now is play games and music considering cellphones don't exist in Wonderland) It's playing some old 1990's stuffy stuff on repeat: <em>100 years<em> by _Five for Fighting_. I mouth the lyrics as I go around and around and around, not fast enough to make me dizzy, but enough to satisfy me for the moment.

_…__I'm fifteen for a moment~_

_caught in between ten and twenty~_

_and I'm just dreaming~_

_counting the ways to where you are…_

As the song continues, I take note of the Afternoon sun as it shines into the restaurant from the front windows, coloring the inside a pleasant auburn color as about a handful of people (About two or three, but they are getting done and are about to leave) sat around at the tables. It's seriously that slow today, so slow in fact, that my boss actually said that we could leave early if we wanted. (Mr. Bill, not Gowland. Gowland is my boss's boss, and I don't get the label/power thing.) Of course, who wouldn't like an offer like that? Who would refuse it?

Me, that's who!

I like the satisfactory feeling of earning every penny in my paycheck. (And whatever Overtime I can get because **_DAMN_****,** Mr. Bill pays some _good_ overtime!) And, I really love working here! All the workers are so nice, my boss is awesome, the customers are actually decent, and I get to associate with my favorite thing in the world…SWEETS! Other than those pesky harassers/drunkards what wonder in here that I have to firmly throw out the front door (sometimes in the literal sense) every now and again, I honestly have nothing to complain about …except for days like these, where I actually WANT to be scrambling around the kitchen like a dog chasing its own tail…

And so, here I am, being one of probably three (including my boss) workers actually working the full hours, spinning lazily in my chair and waiting for anyone to walk in. Mr. Bill has put me up front on the register to watch the door and serve whoever decides to show up on a day like this while he's in the kitchen doing his thing. I would love to take his place, but oh no, he won't have none of that. He hates working the register. Says that's what he hired us for…

_…__never a wish, better than this~_

_when you only have one hundred years to live…_

Around and around I go, music blaring out most of the noises. I'm thinking about changing the song, but I can't find the motivation to dig in my pocket and fish for my phone at the moment. I'm also thinking that the next Time change need to hurry the hell up, because that's when we actually close-

*DING~G~G*

The sound of the door bell ringing makes me jolt to a stop mid-spin and quickly twist around to see who had walked in on such a sluggish day, my absent thoughts washed away like soap suds on a dish. I can't help but smile as I lean on my elbows on the counter, cutting my tunes off for the moment as I rest my chin in my palms. It's one of my number one (in a list of five or so) customer who just happens to waltz in, long ears flopping a little as his boots click on the hard floor. He's also a personal favorite, as he just so happened to be the biggest contributor to my paycheck~

"Yo, Elliot!" I say with a wave and a smile. Ever since that time at the mansion where he helped me out when I lost my glasses in the fountain, we have actually gotten really close. I sort of thought he was mad at me for a while, (you know, since I basically lied to him. I'm still a little guilty about it.) but after a couple of tea parties, we've talked and such, and actually have gotten to be good friends. At first, I thought he was rather pushy, but now I know that he's really trustworthy and loyal when you get to know him, if not a little bit of a worrywart.

"Hi, Hikari!", he answers cheerfully as he walks up to the register with a grin and starts looking through the lower glass at all the dessert on display eagerly. Of course, I know what he's really after.

"Let me guess~", I sing-song with a giggle, spinning an earphone around in circles, "Something carroty, I presume?"

"Like you wouldn't believe!" He sighs and rubs his stomach, "I don't get why Blood hates carrot dishes so much. They're delicious! The smell, the taste…"

He goes on and on a little about his favorite vegetable…well, favorite _flavor_, describing it and such as his (very pretty, I think) violet/blue eyes look thought the glass cabinet. I can't help but snort at his devotion. It's honestly adorable, if you ask me, kinda like that one time I introduce Boris to the laser pointer I found at the bottom of my huge purse (He was mad at me after, but it was so mega kawaii at the time I just couldn't help myself) Kida thinks I think everything is cute, though, and I wonder if that's true…surely I don't think everything is cute. Hmm…

"Hey…Where's the carrot cake?" Elliot asks, as he bends over a little more to take a better look, "I don't see it."

"Huh? That's weird", I saw as I lean over the counter to look through the glass with him. Our foreheads bump a little as I scan it for the carrot treat with him, but I can't seem to find it either. That's weird…we usually have at least one. Elliot is a regular, after all, even if he's basically an enemy of this territory. But Mr. Bill has a thing where he '_don't give a damn where they come from as long as they pay the bill.'_

Ha…that's my boss_._

Speaking of which, I use my leg power and kick my roll-y chair back until I come to the window behind me that peeks into the kitchen. I call out to my boss, who I see is elbow deep in some dough, "Hey Boss! Where's the carrot cake?"

He doesn't bother to stop and turn toward me. "Cake's cooling in the window. It's not iced yet though."

"Kay!" I answer, and I go to tell my friend the news when I'm loudly interrupted

"Need some help moving that carts? They're not full like usual, but they can still be pretty heavy."

"Naw, I think I can handle it by myself today. It's just one cake." I say in return, then try again with informing my customer, "If you don't mind waiting a bit, I'll have it ready in a jiffy. Just…do whatever, I guess"

"Ah, Okay. Be careful."

"Sure, sure." I say, waving off his worrying comment. I jump out of my chair and straighten out my clothes a bit as I flip up the door on the counter and walk toward the window display-slash-cooling rack. Even on a lazy day like today, I still relatively try to look good, and the girls here help me out a lot. Least I can do is keep the wrinkles out of my clothes.

I walk up to the rolling racks (lined up in a 2x3 so that there are two in the window at all time) and look around for the one with the cake I'm looking for, and sure enough, there it is. On the inside of the middle-right rack in the middle row, and with it is a couple of pumpkin pies that are still smoking a little and a cookie sheet of cinnamon cookies, not much but I still need to maneuver some things to get to it, as the cake is behind the pies. All I have to do is move the rack a little to the right and I can just grab the cake. I make a lazy, absent note in the back of my mind to stay mindful of the still hot pies, and walk around the rack, unlocking the tires so I can roll it.

"Just gotta grab the handle", I whisper to myself as I grab said thing, giving it a pull. It moves, but only slightly, "Whoa, you're heavy." I say, only a little louder.

"You ok over there?" Elliot calls out as he pushes himself off on the counter he was leaning on, ears twitching as his violet eyes watch me, worry in them. He looks like he's about to come over here, but I stop him.

"I'm fine, just…stay where you are." I say with a slight huff as I dig my shoe covered feet into the ground and give the thing another pull. FUCK! Budge, damn you! Bill wasn't kidding, these things are heavy! Usually the guys (Jim, Tom, or Riley) are the ones moving the racks, but they left early already.

I let out another huff of breath. It needs to move a little more. I can fit my hand in their now, but the cake needs to come out

_'__Come on, you stupid thing, just a little more.' _

With a squeak, it submits to me and moves just enough, and I let out a victory huff of breath. Ok, I can get it now, and not worry about bumping into the sides or anything. I reach in with one hand and poke at the cake, making sure it's nice a cool. It's a big one, all right. Elliot should be satisfied with this. Knowing him, he'll buy the whole thing, like usual.

Without thinking, I reach under and pick up the cake from the bottom, and proceed to pull it out

I only forgot one thing…

"SHIT!" I shout as I yank my hand, with the cake still in my grasp (somehow), out of there. The cake bumps into my chest, but none the less stays intact. Can't say the same for my hand though, as a long, pinkish-red burn line starts to show up the right side of my right hand, from the knuckle of my pinkie finger to the knot of bone at my wrist. The hot side of the pie pan sure did a number on it too, 'cause SHIT it hurts. I should probably put some cold water and aloe on it later-

"Hikari!" Elliot shouts, breaking my thoughts. He rushes toward me, ears up and on high alert "Are you ok?"

"Yeah, I'm cool", I laugh a little (that was pun-y. HA), not wanting to worry him. I hide my hand a little with my sleeve, "I almost dropped your cake and it scared me a bit. That would have been really bad. I mean, I know how much you are looking forward to it and all."

_'__Ok, shut up, Hikari. You're pushing that lie a bit.'_

"Oh…that's all it was?" he says, confused, then scratches the back of his head, "Damn it, don't scare me like that. I thought you got…I don't know, stabbed or something. You screamed so loud, my ears are still ringing a little."

"Ahaha, my bad, my bad." I laugh nervously. Close but no cigar. Shit, it's starting to throb, "Just an overreaction, nothing more. Now, let's get this cake iced."

I quickly side step him, trying to make it so that he can't see my burn, and speed walk back to behind the counter. I put the cake in the icing tray, they rush to the back to both get the icing from the fridge and run some cold water on my burn. I can't help the hiss that leaves my lips, along with my silent mouthing of the work 'fuck'.

I whistle behind me makes me jump and turn my head to see the not-face of my boss, Mr. Bill, as he (I guess) eyes my burn "Damn, that looks painful. What'd you do-"

"SHH! Shut up!" I say. Knowing Elliot, he can hear anything and everything, and I really don't want him to poke his nose in and start worrying about a mistake of mine. I did it so I will handle it, like I always do. I don't like it when people fret over me, like that first time Kida and I went to Blood's tea party and Elliot had to patch up a bullet wound. It's embarrassing, and anyway I'm used to dealing with my own problems without relying on anyone to begin with.

I take out my notepad and quickly write what happened, what's wrong, and why I'm writing in the first place. He raises and eyebrow at my antics, but nonetheless reads the note and nods before going back to doing…whatever he was doing before. Looks like decorating something.

After a bit, I get a pair of white plastic gloves and put them over both my hands, just to be safe. It's nice and red now, and I just need to last until I get home. Now…what was I after again? AH! Icing!

*DING~G~G*

The sound of the front door opening catches my ear as I am getting the icing from the fridge (by the way, cold fridge plus burn equals awesome) followed by the shouts of two more of my check's major donors.

"Kari-chan!" comes a boyish shout, "Where are you, Kari-chan?"

"Guess who it is!" come's its twin.

"Don't yell in the store, you little-STOP TRYING TO CLIMB ON THE COUNTER!" Elliot shouts.

I sigh, knowing automatically who it is. Who else could it be, honestly? I walk out to see the bright faces of Dee and Dum as they jump up and down at my presence, being barely held back by Elliot as they try to pounce me before I have the time to fully leave the kitchen.

"Kari-chan!"

"Hey you guys." I laugh as I put the icing on the counter and walk out of it, least they leap over it to get to me. Elliot lets them go, and I catch their jump-hug successfully. (Shit-fucking-OW!) They nuzzle into me like little kids do, and I pat their heads and embrace them in return before letting them go.

"You guys aren't slacking from work just to come see me again, are you?" I ask, hand on my hip. It wouldn't be the first time, and it probably won't be the last.

"We aren't slacking!"

"Not this time! We came to get you and the Chicken Rabbit."

"I'm not a rabbit, you little shits!" Elliot exclaims, knocking them both on the head with his fist, "And you're probably lying, too! Slackers!"

"Wah! Kari-chan!"

"He hit us!"

"Boys, boys! Stop this roughing in the store. And Elliot, you need to control that temper of yours." I scold. His ears droop, and at times like this I can agree with him that he's a dog, not a rabbit, because I know of no one who can pull of the kicked puppy look more successfully than he can. I want to pet him so effin bad, but that will make the reprimand invalid.

"Chicken Rabbit got told on!" the twins say, as they stick out their tongue at him at the same time.

"Don't think you're off the hook either." I tell them, pinching them both on the ear. They yelp, but don't move away. They know better, it seems, "It's not nice to call people names either. Now you three, apologize."

They all look at me like _I'm_ the one with maniac-killing tendencies in this world, each exclaiming his own rejection

"Apologize?!"

"To him?!"

"Never!"

"Do you like your ears where they are?" I ask as I pinch harder on the twin's ears and look pointedly at Elliot's, giving them my emptiest, scariest sweet smile (one that can rival Ace, mind you. I can be really convening when I want to be). You can hear them gulping, eyes widening in fear. "Because if you don't apologize, **_NOW_**, I'm going to tear them off and shove them into the new assholes I'm going to rip into you. Now…where are those apologies?"

There's a silence.

_No, that won't do at all~_

"I can't hear you~" I sing-song wickedly.

"S-Sorry!"

"W-we're sorry, K-Kari-chan!"

"That's better", I say, letting them go. Dee and Dum skitter away a bit, rubbing their probably sore ears while Elliot covers his. I giggle and smile at my victory as I walk back behind the counter to get prepped to ice. Works just as well here as it does back home.

"Now, be good and go sit over there, you three, I need to get finished working." I warn as I absent reach into the tool draw with my right hand to get the icing knife.

I have to bite down the hiss when I bump my burn spot into something rather sharp.

**Elliot's POV**

Huh…that's strange. What's with that face she just made? Her nose scrunched up for a second…I wonder what's wrong.

But anyway, I decide to lean against the counter as I still try to calm my clock down from that scare she just gave me. Shit, she's scary when she wants to be! And there she goes, happily humming as she ices the cake I ordered, as if she didn't threaten our lives five minutes ago over an everyday, normal scuffle between me and the brats. I just don't get her sometimes…I mean what's the big deal, anyway? I smack the twins around all the time when they call me names. They don't really bother me (Except the rabbit stuff, that really pisses me off), and we usually get bored with it after a while and go our separate ways. I don't understand…but whatever I guess. It's over now.

"Hey, Brother?" whispers Dum as he sits at a table with his brother. (at least I think its Dum. Hell, I can't tell them apart half the time unless someone tells me or they decide to age into their older forms.) My ears twitch toward them, "Didn't Kari-can look kinda…hot when she got all mad and stuff?"

"Ahaha, are you into some S and M stuff, brother?" whispers Dee in return as he lightly punches Dum's shoulder, "But I have to agree with you there. I though my clock stopped for a second…it was awesome!"

"Totally awesome! Maybe we should make her mad again."

"Maybe we could…"

I tune them out and pay more attention to my cake, watching as she smoothly layered creamy white icing onto it. I lick my lips in anticipation as I watch as she skillfully twists the knife this way and that, putting little swirl patterns into it. She then starts to put little orange carrot and greens leafy vine designs along the side and the top. Ah, I've been looking forward to this all day! It hasn't been Night in a while, which means that Blood hasn't planned any midnight tea parties as of late, which means no carrot sweets for me. And I've been having one hell of a sweet tooth for a while now, but Blood say he doesn't want any orange food on his table. I seriously don't get Blood sometimes (I'll go with whatever he says, but he's still a bit of an enigma) How can anyone not like carrot cake…or carrot cookies…or carrot compote….Mmmm…

"So Dee, Dum" Hikari calls out, not looking up from her work as she twists her wrists this way and that, "You said something about coming to get me and Elliot, right? What for?"

"Ah, that's right!" Dee exclaimed, suddenly excited as he bounces in his seat "Boss wanted to invite you to a tea party he's planning on throwing."

_Oh, so Blood isn't going to wait for Night after all? Makes sense. Wait! That means I can add this to the carrot stuff that's already going to be at the party! YES!_

"He said he was going to have it soon, so we had to make sure to let you know so you'll come" Dum finished, then paused before continuing, "You…are coming, right?"

She laughs as she continues, almost done, "Don't I make it to all of the ones he throws? Of course I'll be there." She makes the final few touches on the cake, "And…FINISHED!"

She smiles as she looks at her finished cake, spinning it a bit to check on the details. Kida did mention once that she and Hikari were art students back in their world, and I can see why. It almost looks too perfect to eat.

My growling stomach says otherwise.

"Pretty!" one of the twins exclaims as they both push me out of the way to get a better look. She laughs at them, and spins it around so that we can get a full look at it.

"Carrot cake is gross, but I'd eat that!" responds the other

"Thanks, you two." Hikari says, then looks toward me, "I just hope that the customer is satisfied with it."

I smile, "Of course! It's my favorite, after all!"

She laughs at me and turns around to grab the packaging things from a shelf behind her. As she goes to pull one of the fold up boxes, her face scrunches up again when she bumps her right hand against shelf a bit, and she lets out a strained huff of breath. Her pulse jumps too, then settles back to its usual pace.

…What was that?

"Hikari?" I ask, ears tilting up a little, "Is something wrong?"

"What are you talking about?" She answers, not meeting my eyes as she packages my cake and hands it to me with a warm smile. I can't help but take notice that she's almost babying her right hand. I pay for it, but keep an eye on her.

Something it up. I can smell it.

**Hikari's POV**

Shit, Shit, SHIT! Fuck that hurt so badly! Why? Why is it hurting so much, it's just a little burn! I'm used to being burned from working in the kitchen, so WHY the HELL is it HURTING?! All I did was bump it!

"Are you sure you're ok?" Elliot asks, his face a little more serious than before. Oh crap, don't be catching on to this shit! It's just a fucking burn for crying out loud!

"I'm fine. Nothing for you to worry about." I say smoothly, keeping my smile on my face. I tug on my sleeve to cover my hand, "Excuse me, I have to…go to the bathroom! I'll see you guys at the tea party!"

"Huh? Oh Ok, Kari-chan! See you later!"

"Hey, Brother! Let's go find Boris and have some fun!"

"No you don't! Back to work you twits!"

I ignore them to the upmost of my ability, and bolt to the back, headed for the girl's dressing room (yeah, I said bathroom. I LIED). Ok, so…so much for being inconspicuous, but I REALLY need to find out what the ever loving fuck is up with my hand.

I practically bust through the door, startling my fellow coworker (the only other one besides Mr. Bill and I), Avery, who is washing her hands at the sink. I skit to a stop, just a little bit spooked myself. I didn't expect her to be in here. I hadn't seen her in the serving area, so I thought she was somewhere in the kitchen and I hadn't noticed.

"Goodness!" she exclaims, "You scared me half to death! What's wrong?"

"NOT. NOW." I answer, not really trying to be rude but seriously, this thing is hurting like a MOFO. I rip off the plastic gloves on my hands and shove it on the sink, cooling it off with some icy water before putting it against the light to get a better look. It looks about the same as before. I squint my eyes to look closer, but I can't really see anything. I wonder if it's my glasses when I hear a sound to my left

"That's one bad burn." Avery say as she looks at it too, "You should get it treated right away."

"It's not that bad." I scoff, then hiss a bit as it throbs, "A-all I did was skid it against a hot metal pie pan while getting the cake behind it. All it needs is some aloe and it will get better in no time."

"I don't know." she hums, a pondering look on her face as she looks at it closely, "Looks like a little more than that."

She might be right, and I might have flour on my glasses, who knows? But I do know I've never had a simple burn that hurts this bad. Feels more like I'm being cookied from the inside. WHAT THE FUCK WORLD?!

"Well, good thing for you that it's closing time." Avery says, and then gasps, "And will you look at that! It's Nighttime! Lucky!"

I blink in surprise. Closing time? Really? Has time gone by that fast? I look over at the little window and sure enough the sky is a black blanket covering all. I walk over to look outside, putting my burning hand against the cool glass for some relief, and watch as the lanterns start flickering to life and revealing the cobblestone walkways.

"Good thing the Boss doesn't open at Night, huh?" Avery says as she gets her things ready to go, "My next shift is the Noon one. Which one do you have?"

I turn toward her, "Oh, I have the Afternoon shift again, this time with Tom and Tammy. Whenever that will be"

"I know right?"

We laugh at that, as we both know that the Time Changes in this world tends to be a tad bit contrary, never in any particular order, some too long while others too short, and some skipping like a bad record. Even after being here a while, I'm still getting used to it.

"I'll see you later then, ok Hikari?" my workmate says as she waves and opens the door to leave, "Get that checked out."

I nod and wave back absently before walking over to my locker and proceed to change out of my work uniform, being careful of my hand. Today I decided to wear something lazy, not really caring what I looked like when I woke up in the middle of the Day thanks to the sun blaring through my window like a flashlight. (I was so angry at the sun for like three seconds) a skin colored tank top under a slightly oversized button up green long sleeve shirt (it's a guy's shirt, but I really liked the color and it was in a sales basket.), a simple pair of blue jeans and my usual shoes. I brush out the braid, transfer shit from the pocket of one pair of pants to the other, and wrap my trademark scarf around my neck.

I look down at my sleeves, which are split a little down the side with a couple of buttons on it, and decide to get some ice from the mini-fridge and a wrap from the first aid box and make a little cooling thing for my burn. I then pin up all buttons on my sleeves all the way tight, too keep pressure on it. Whatever's wrong with my hand, I probably don't want it to get infected along with all this other stuff. You know, just to be on the safe side. I'll have to wait until I get back to my house to properly medicate it up, because I don't see fresh aloe in the First Aid box. (I have one growing in my yard. Lucky my grandma taught me stuff like this)

After checking myself over in the mirror, I walk out and into the serving area where I see Mr. Bill, sweeping.

He looks up, "You gone, girl?"

"Yeah, I'm going."

"Get that burn checked out." he says, still sweeping, "Avery said it looked funny to her."

"Avery's a worrywart, and so are you", I say with a laugh, and all I get is an irritated grunt in return, "I'll bandage it when I get home, don't worry"

"You better", He grumbles, "Don't want an injured worker messing up my work."

I grin, "I'm the _perfect_ worker. Would I do that to you, Bill?"

He snorts a laugh at this, and then proceeds to swat playfully at me with his broom "Get the hell out and get that burn looked at, before I break this broom 'perfectly' over your ass."

"Ok! Ok, I'm gone!"

I laugh at out playful banter as I head toward the front door. Mr. Bill might be a crusty, stubborn old guy, but he kinda reminds me of my Grandpa in a way, and it makes me happy that he cares enough about me bitch about my well-being. Sure, he's a Faceless, and I don't really get the difference between Faceless and Role Holders, but to me he's just a nice old man who talks some good smack.

The door dings as I walk through it, and I turn to go down the road that leads toward my house.

_'__I probably should hurry though, so I can get this hand fixed and bandaged, and then I can get ready for Blood's tea party. It wouldn't do to be late…'_

I hear the sound of a twig snapping or someone stepping on a piece of glass, and I stop to take a look around. The park is relatively empty, with not a soul in sight. The wind picks up, blowing snack wrappers and plastic cups across the concrete, giving the park and almost eerie feeling to it.

_'__I have the strangest feeling…that there's someone looking at me…maybe I'm just paranoid.'_

I slide my sore hand into my pocket and gingerly wrap my fist around my pocket knife.

_'__But just in case.'_

I pick up my step.

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><p><strong>Holy Shit, who could that be after Hikari? Do you know? DO I KNOW?! <strong>

**OF COURSE I KNOW! But you, my lovely readers, have to pay the price of 5 REVIEWS to know the continuation of this. And just so you know, I already have the next chapter typed and ready to upload, but I'm not until I see some lovely reviews**

**BTW, what happened to Hikari actually happened to me while getting ready for Christmas. I burned my arm while taking something out of the oven and cut it in the same spot (still have no idea how the cut happened). Hurt like a MOFO for days. You have no idea how bad. The burn healed faster than the cut though (weird)**

**I BID YOU ADU! UNTIL NEXT TIME! **


	2. Sweeter than Cake

**ME: Yay! I'm love all the reviews! Here's a new update that I hope that you will be happy to enjoy.**

**Hikari: OMG the suspense has been KILLING me!**

**ME: Me too! So without any fancy thing-a-ma-bobs to continue this…Elliot do the disclaimer?**

**Elliot: HNKNA belongs to Quinrose and The OCs and Plot belong to the Author. It's as simple as that**

**ME: Thank you!**

**And without further distractions**

**R&R**

**Special shout out to my friend MuphinButtonz for simply being awesome.**

**Chapter 2: Better than Sweets**

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><p>I speed walk through the park, my shoes slapping against pavement as I make my way quickly to my house. My hand throbs as it rubs against the rough fabric of the inside of my pocket, but I keep it in there, fingers wrapped around the pocket knife my Paw-paw (Grandfather) gave to me for protection. I can feel the mix of cool metal and wood grain against my palm, and it's a comforting feeling that helps me relax. I don't like nighttime for personal reasons (No, I'm not afraid of the dark), but for some reason (maybe a sixth sense that is telling me that shit is about to happen) tonight has me more on edge than normal<p>

_'__What is this feeling?' _

I turn and twist, following the road I know to my house without really thinking about it. The wind rustles my brown hair and makes the ends of my scarf wave

_'__It has my hair standing on end…and I don't like it one bit'_

So lost in my thoughts, and barely away from home am I that just as I pass a corner with an alley on the other side, a large hand reaches out and grabs me by my left arm, making me jolt to a sudden stop. A sudden fear courses through me as I tense my muscles and prepare myself

"Hey-"

I refuse to let him finish whatever it was he was saying, prepare myself to roundhouse kick this dick in the…dick…yeah…I yank at the hand to pull it closer. I'm not stupid, and there's no way I'm going down without a fight!

_'__FUCK DIS SHIT!'_

He lets out a shout of surprise (that sound strangely familiar, but right now I really could give less fucks ) and lets go of my arm to dodge my blow, and I skillfully pull out my trusty knife, flicking it open and preparing myself to stab this bastard. I try again and again, throwing punches (and ignoring the pain in my hand when I actually make a hit to the best of my ability. It's hard, considering my knife is in my right hand, and trying to keep a tight grip on it is painful) and kicks and slashes his way (thank you Paw-paw, for teaching me basic self-defense and how to fight with a knife), pushing him back into the ally from winst he came. Surprising enough, he is very good at dodging, and I have him right where I want him when sudden, my foot is caught mid-kick.

"FUCK! HIKARI! STOP ATTACKING! IT'S JUST ME!"

I jolt to a stop at the voice, and split my focus between balancing precariously on one foot and getting a better look at this guy. I blink when I finally notice, thanks to the little moonlight that glows into the alley. It reflects off of violet eyes and (what looks like) honey golden hair.

"E-elliot?!" I gasped, and my balance starts to slip on me.

_'__Fuck-fuck-fuck! Gunna fall!'_

I wave my hands like an idiot to keep myself stable, and at the same time he reaches out to help me, grabbing my shoulder with the other hand to keep me steady. (How ficking long are his arms?!) I'm grateful for his help, but our positions are…awkward.

"Phew…that was close." he says with a lopsided grin and a gasp of breath as he carefully puts my leg down, but doesn't let go of my shoulder. Instead he sort of leans on it, like he was the one who just got scared shitless

I take a deep breath…to try to calm my heart

…and instead start to RAGE

"Shit dude!" I yell, putting my hand over my still thumping heart, "Warm me before you do shit like that! I almost had a heart attack!"

"S-sorry! Sorry!" he says as he yanks his hand back, and then scratches the back of his head, "I didn't expect you to react so…fiercely. Didn't you recognize my voice when-"

"FUCK NO! It's Night, and walking around at Night makes me paranoid as fuck, thank you very much." I rant loudly, not caring who hears me because the adrenaline is still pumping in my blood stream. Elliot stares at me, eyes wide at my sudden outburst.

**Elliot's POV**

_Man, she's really mad at me._

_What did I do wrong? All I wanted to do was get her attention, but I wanted to be careful that no one saw us together, too. If people from other organizations saw her with me, especially like this, they might get the wrong idea and target her. I don't want that to happen, so I thought I would hide in the alley next to her workplace and wait till she came out. And thanks to that, I got to figure out the real situation that was going on with her! She burnt her hand! Why didn't she just say something? So, I was going to follow her and confront her about it…_

_…__but…_

"And here you come, reaching your hand out of some creepy fucking dark alley like some…fucking ninja and scaring the ever loving shit out of me. FUCK!" She continues, face red with a mix of anger and exhaustion as she walks around and stomps on the ground. She then turns towards me and stomps my way, and points her finger right up to my nose, "Do you know how close you were to having my foot in your face?! I was about to open the biggest can of whoop-ass on you, you have NO idea!"

I blink at the sudden exclamation and have to wait a moment before those words actually register in my mind

…wait…did she says she was going to **_kick my ass?_**

…

_Pfft!_

I can't help the snort that leaves me, which changes into a belly laugh that has me hunched over holding my stomach. It catches her off guard, and makes her take a step back to watch me, a curious yet angry look on her face.

"I would like to know, what the FUCK is so funny?!" she barks, and it only makes me laugh harder. I have to lean against the wall for support.

_That's just…funny! So funny! You have no idea! S-she thinks that she can kick __**my**__ ass…that's just…ahaha! Wow! Doesn't she know what I do for a living? Ahaha!_

"Stop laughing!"

"I c-can't-ahaha! I-it's just…" I chuckle again, trying to calm myself a little to talk, "You're just…pfft…SO CUTE!"

He face lights up, "W-Wha-?!"

"N-No it's just-", I snort again, and push myself away from the wall to walk toward her. I then reach up with both my hands and pat her on her head, making her blink with surprise. It calms me a little, enough to make a decent sentence and not have to stutter with my laughter, "Do you know curse like a sailor when you're pissed? And your face is so red right now. It's just…so cute!"

She puffs her cheeks out and I have to cover up my mouth to keep from busting out into another fit of laughter.

_Hahaha! So funny! She l-looks like a…a p-puppy! A really cute, angry puppy!_

After a minute or two of her practically growling at me while I try really hard not to laugh, she lets out a deep sigh, like she's suddenly exhausted. She then let's out her own giggle as she swats away my hands away,

"Ok, ok. You got me. Elliot." she says as she folds back up her knife (Wait, has she always had that knife? This is this the first time I've it. I'll ask her about that later) and puts it back in her pocket, "Congrats. You can officially cross of _Scare the Shit out of Hikari_ off of your bucket list."

I chuckle a little and scratch the back of my head, "Sorry, I really didn't mean to scare you. I was just wanted to get your attention so I can talk to you about something."

…

She stalls for a second, and I can head her heart give a quick thump-thump in worry.

I can practically smell the lie she's gunna cook up.

"Uh… Can it wait until later? I'm in a little bit of a hurry" she stalls as her face scrunches in pain again, "…a-and, you know, we'll just see each other at the mansion later anyway."

I stay silent.

_Well…it's not exactly a lie…_

"So…uh…I'll see you later!"

_…__but I'm still pissed!_

She turns and tries to make a quick escape, but my reflexes are trained and I quickly grab onto her shoulder again with a tight fist.

It pisses me off that she's STILL avoiding telling me that something is wrong when something is clearly wrong. I can see it on her face, for crying out loud! It's just like what happened when I found her in the garden, when she avoided answering my question about why she was there. What, does she think I can't handle something like this? Does she really think that little of me?! Can't she just…fucking trust me?! I just wanna help her! Damn it!

**Hikari's POV**

"E-Elliot…Ow-Ouchies!" I say, feeling his hand squeeze tighter and tighter on my shoulder. I can't see his face at the moment, has he has it slightly bowed, and his bangs are thoroughly shadowing his face, "S-stop…you're squeezing my shoulder too hard, dude. It hurts!"

**"…****No"**, he says in a serious tone, his tone a little harsher than I expected it to be. Startled at his sudden change in voice, I look up to see his face, only to shrink back in fright at the pure anger in it, **"It ****_can't_**** wait."**

Slowly, very slowly, he reaches for my right hand, and carefully pulls it up from where it rested at my side. He then unbuttons all the buttons on the sleeve and reveals my homemade bandage, wet from melted ice. I'm frozen on the spot, a mix of adrenaline (still from earlier), fear, and uncertainty in my veins as I watch him warily.

**"****Explain this."**

The thick, straightforwardly serious way he says that makes me let out a nervous laugh, unsure how to answer as I watch him unwrap it in silence to get a better look at it. So, I just…let whatever falls out of my mouth fall.

"Y-You know…Murphy's Law(*1) and all."

_'__Of course it has to be shit that falls…stupid shit at that. But at least I answered.'_

It's silent for a moment, and I watch as the expressions on his face melt from its previous fury into frustration, and then into something similar to sorrow as he examines my wounds. I feel a pang in my chest at his unhappy face, because I know that I'm somewhat the cause of it. I didn't mean to make the guy sad…I just didn't want him to worry about stupid, clumsy little me…(and surprising enough, it's not even hurting as bad… still hurts like a MOFO, but I think I'm slowly adjusting to the pain.)

Suddenly, he looks up to me and exclaims, "Why couldn't you just tell me?!"

I singe back at his question, not able to look at his forlorn face without feeling guilty, and quickly answer, "I-I just thought it wasn't something worth worrying about-"

"For me, it IS something to worry about!" He yells, turning my hand to examine it, "You're my friend…at least **_I_** think we're friends…and you're hurt! So of course I'm going to worry!"

"What are you talking about, you dingus! We are friends!" I exclaim back, astounded by his claim. "Just because I don't tell you every little detail doesn't NOT make us any less friends! It means I care enough to not want to worry you! And besides, it's just a little burn. Nothing I'm not used to-"

"You mean a burn _AND_ a knife wound."

…

…

"Huh?"

"It's shallow, barely breaking the skin", He says, pulling my hand closer to him and turning it carefully into the little bit of light that bleeds into the alley from a lamp on the street. I can feel his breath ghosting against my palm, and it makes my heart do flip-flops in my chest, "but it's there. And the burn is probably irritating it. But that's not-"

"I've been cut?! Where?!" I shout as I, too, what to know the cause of my pain. When I looked at it before in the girl's dressing room, I certainly didn't see anything resembling a cut on it. And when did I cut it anyway? I don't remember!

"Oh…uh…Right here." he say awkwardly, and slides a finger gently against where it hurts the most. Even that hurts it, and I can't help but try to pull back. I squint my eyes, but I simply don't see what he's seeing. Then it occurs to me

"You realize we've been standing in an alleyway for like…thirty minutes right?" I say absently, then grasp at his arm and start pulling, "Come out here into the light a bit."

He stumbles a bit at my sudden pulling, but quickly catches himself, and once we are situated underneath a nearby streetlamp, he shows me again where the cut on my burn is, finger outlining it softly. This time I barely see the damn thing, but it practically blends into the burn! A pink line of a blotch of pink!

Of course, when Elliot sees me squinting to see it, he gently presses against the skin a little bit (OW-FICKEN-OW!), and the pink line darkens a little, turning red where the blood is.

"See it now?" he asks, a smile on his face as he meets my eyes, then suddenly gasps "AH! Sorry! Did I hurt you too bad?! I-I didn't mean too!"

I blink at his sudden reaction, and the blowing wind makes me realized that I released a tear without knowing it. I wipe it away, hating the sign of weakness,

"I-It's fine. Just hurts a little", I mumble.

"Don't lie. It hurt like hell, didn't it? Sorry." he says sullenly, then make a sudden noise that sounds like he just realized something. He then backs up away from me, unbuckles the belt from around his chest, and opens his coat up to show the insides and the off-white buttoned up collar shirt underneath. He reaches into a pocket and rummages around in it for a minute

He blinks, and I can see the question mark on his face.

He reaches into another pocket

And another

And another

Soon, he is frantically searching each and every pocket on his huge trench coat, his shirt, and even his pants pockets, patting them to make sure that they are empty before going back to the coat (I think he's thinking that whatever he's looking for is in his coat). I watch him in curiosity, wondering what in the world he's searching so desperately for.

So I just ask him up front.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I have some…No…antiseptic cream that…no not there…helps with things like this", he answers slightly absently as he continues rummaging through each and every pocket. He then groans, frustrated, "Now, if only I could find the damn thing! I always keep it on me!"

I can't help but giggle at his dilemma, "Did you check _every_ pocket?"

"Almost" he says with a huff, "Just a couple more. I'm sure I have it!"

He keeps searching and searching, but unfortunately, he doesn't come up with anything at all. But there is one thing that he found while digging through all those pockets that _I_ thought was pretty funny. It was as he poked his hand into that last pocket, and we are both startled when we see a finger or two pop out from the other side, through a hole in the bottom.

"Aww man!" Elliot exclaims, ears drooping "Not only can I not find it, but now look! I have a hole in my favorite coat, too!"

I can't help but let out a snort of laughter from sudden nostalgia the situation gives me. I can't tell you how many times I've had to patch up clothes for my younger siblings. If it wasn't a pocket, it was a seam on someone's pants or a hole (that I swear half the time was intentionally made with scissors.) in someone's shirt. I swear, with all the thread I've used to fix their clothes I could gather it all up and make each one of them a new wardrobe all together. Back in my world I always kept a spool of thread and a needle with me, usually in a draw, but luck has it that I left it there.

"Aww…I could probably fix it for you", I say with a giggle, old memories making my heart warm. I then stop short when I realize what I've just said, "Ah, b-b-but I don't have any needle or thread on me, or at my house, a-and I left my other one back in my world and-"

"We have some at the mansion!" Elliot suddenly exclaims in the middle of my sentence, "At least, I know the maids have some. And I know I have the medicine for your burn back in my room! We can go to the mansion right now and patch both of us up!"

That's…really not a bad idea. Really! I mean, intentionally I was headed to my place to patch myself up anyway (HA…Just got it. Elliot you sneak! I see what you did. Throwing puns in there…) and then head over to Blood's tea party afterward. So, why not? It's killing two birds with one stone. Either way, I 'm basically doing the same damn thing.

And Elliot looks so fucking happy right now, with a look of pure accomplishment on his face, looking like he just discovered/thought up to most awesome whatever in the entire effin universe. It makes me feel really REALLY guilty for trying to lie to him in the first place. Couple that with almost bouncing bunny ears (See? Even his ears are happy) and that big, excited, goofy ass grin and I'd like to see who could say no to that face. Anyone who can do that has simply has no soul…

I let out a passive sigh, and because I A: simply CANNOT say no to that face and B: kinda want to make it up to him, I quickly subside to Elliot's will. But that doesn't mean I have to go down easily. I still have my pride after all.

"Alright", I mumble in an almost droned way, sounding like I have nothing better to do with my life, "I suppose we'll do this you're way-OPHUK!(*2)"

No sooner are those words spoken am I swept up in a bone-crushing hug that actually puts my hugs to shame. (And Kida says I could pop someone's back out of place) When he lets go I have to suck back in the oxygen he squeezed out of me.

"Alright then! Come on, let's hurry back to the mansion!" Elliot exclaims as he grasps me by my good hand, giving it a gentle pull to make us start walking, "And don't worry about a thing! I'll patch you up nice so that it won't hurt anymore, I promise!"

I have to giggle as his pure, honest declaration, "Ok, Elliot. I trust you."

He continues to walk, but our conversation has a bit of an awkward pause before he speaks again,"Do you…really mean that?"

Not sure what he means by that, I tilt my head a little in curiosity, "Yeah…Of course I do. Why do you ask?"

He doesn't respond, but I notice his hand as he squeezes mine tighter once more.

We continue onward in a rather steady fast pace. I soon notice that his stride is longer than mine, and it takes two or three of my short steps to match one of his long ones. It takes me almost stumbling for him to catch on, and he slows down for me. Soon we are walking side by side, his huge hand easily engulfing my small one completely as he gently pulls me along. It's…strange to me. To be holding his hand like this, I mean. I mean it's not like I haven't held someone's hand before. I hold my grandma's hand sometime…and I used to hold my brother's all the time when we were a lot smaller, whether it's for walking outside or walking to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But with Elliot…well it's comforting, an almost warm and fuzzy feeling in my chest… but yet unsettling at the same time.

…sometimes I don't get myself sometimes. Gawd, I'm such a frikkin weirdo.

It doesn't take us long for us to get out of the Park completely, it's loud and creaking mechanisms and machinery left behind us as we walk through the woods. It's quite between us, a sort of strange disconcerting silence…like when you want to say something and you can't seem to find the courage to say it. Like one of those silences. It's not like, tense or heavy or anything, no…more like…someone really should say something…yet neither of us are talking. All you can hear around us is the calls of the forest life at night and the crunch of dirt between our shoes.

For some reason my eyes flick over to look at him, and catch him doing the same. Our eyes meet for a split second, before he turns abruptly away, and I can't help but see his face redden a bit…well that was strange…I wonder if he was just flat out staring at me….and if he was how long was he doing it?

_Is there something on my face? There shouldn't be, I washed it before I left. Maybe my hair is sticking up awkwardly? Well…it always does that. Maybe he's still mad? But he seems calm…but I know from experience that looks can be deceiving._

I look back over at him slyly from the corner of my eye. His face seems relaxed. Usually when a guy is mad they will…uh…clinch their jaw or something? (My oldest brother does that, so maybe all guys do that?) So maybe that's not it? I watch for a couple of moments more as his curly orange hair bounces a little as he walks, and his boots make loud clomping noises as they stomp into the dirt (and for some reason the song 'Boots made for walking' comes to mind right about now.) Hmm…I don't see anything out of the ordinary…but I can't help but get the feeling that something is missing though…

_Wow…I never noticed it but Elliot is kinda…handsome His blue-violet eyes catch the little moonlight and almost sparkle…that kind of reflects his sometimes childish nature. Hehe…_

_…_

_…_

_…_

I mentally bitch-slap myself for the smushy girly gably-gookness of that thought alone. The hell is wrong with me?! Elliot is my friend, and here I am ogling him and contemplating how cool he actually looks thanks to some silly moonlight. What the hell?!

_Stahp it…right now brain! STAHP STAHP STAHP! GAH!_

Life decides that right then, when I'm arguing with my own brain (I'm not crazy!) and it's close to short-circuiting from too much thinking at one time that Elliot will decide to use this moment to open his mouth and break the silence between us,

"Are you ok?"

His sudden questions makes me jolt, and I have to shake off my blush, "Oh…uh…I'm fine. My hand still stings a bit, but I think I'm getting used to the pain."

"Oh…I guess that's good?" it comes out as more of a question than a statement. "Well, we'll be at the mansion in a little bit, so just hang in there a little longer, ok?"

**_*grrrrrruuurgle* _**

He jolts to a stop at his growling stomach and makes a awkward laugh. I can't help but laugh too…and that's when I finally notice it, the important thing that was missing the whole time. Something that I should have noticed right away yet didn't.

"Elliot…Where's your cake?"

"Huh?" he says turning his head to look at me. I roll my eyes. Honestly? He's forgotten about it already? It's the whole reason for our argument earlier. This dingus…looks like I have to spell it out for him

"You know, the one I _burned_ myself to make for you? Don't tell me you've eaten the whole thing already.",

His ears perk up in realization, "Oh! That cake…No, I didn't eat it yet. Kinda wish I had though." he laughs a little, scratching his head with the hand that wasn't holding my own, "No, I told those twerps to take it back to the mansion for me."

Elliot, trusting Dee and Dum enough to le them do something for him without worrying about horrible consequences? That's both unheard of and unsettling at the same time.

"Aren't you worried they might…oh I don't know…eat it?", I ask, trying to hint as his slight mistake "I mean, those two can put back some sweets just as well as you do."

He immediately scoffs at my idea and starts back walking forward, me following, "Those two? They hate carrot cake…in fact, they hate anything carrot in general. The most I can worry about from them two are laxatives in my cake…or poisoning me again. It's been a while since they tried that."

…

…

_Wait-wait-wait did he just say poison?! _

_And again? _

_So this has happened more than once?! _

_DAFUQ?!_

I turn toward him to give him my best 'explain-this-bullshit' look, possible with an exclaimation of those exact words mixed in for emphasis, but he carry on with his dialogue as if the idea doesn't faze him in the slightest.

"Well don't worry about that cake. It's alright. That's not really what I'm worried about right now, anyway." he continues, and turns toward me to give me that goofy grin again

If the poisoning didn't throw me for a loop, this did. Him not worried about his carrot sweets? What has this world come to…you know what? Nevermind. Please don't answer. As fucked up as this world is I honestly DON'T want to know.

With a sigh of both exhaustion and defeat, I take this time and bother to ask one more thing, "Ok well, what are you worried most about?"

He answers without skipping a beat,

"Well, you of course. You're important to me after all, especially more than some cake."

I turn toward him in slight surprise, unsure how to respond to that statement alone….to those simple yet sweet words. I can't help but stare.

He catches me, our eyes meeting again, "What? Is something wrong?"

"It's…It's nothing", I exclaim, my face instantly heating up, and I have to turn my face away and look at anything but his face because _dear gawd_ that was the cheesiest line I've ever heard in my life, and I've heard some pretty good ones. Not toward me, of course, but I've heard Kida get some serious one-liners. (Which she either didn't notice or ignored completely) But geez Elliot, saying something like that…and the worse part is is that I don't even think he realizes what he said.

Wait! That's it! He has no idea, which means it doesn't count! I'm so stupid, why didn't I notice that sooner? Stupid me for over analysising things. Yeah! That's it…

…still…no one has ever said that I was important to them before. Yeah, sure when we were younger I kinda knew that my brothers needed me, and my Mawmaw and Pawpaw have always praised me when I did something good…but to have it said like that so openly and purely without any hesitation at all…to be important to someone…somehow makes my chest go all funny.

…how strange

After a moment or two of silence he starts making awkward small talk about small things that don't really matter in the long run. You know, like "How's work" and stuff like that, nothing special. It's a comfortable chat, and I feel at ease again as I talk with my good friend Elliot about cakes and confectionaries, something that we both love. And when I notice the roof of Hatter's Mansion poke throught the trees, Elliot's smiles a joyful smile and starts running, pulling me quickly along. The cool wind that blows against my cheeks makes my hair fly everywhere, and I can't help be happy with him. The feeling in my chest is still there, buzzing like a bee, but as I am pulled into Elliot's excitement, us rushing forward, it is the last thing on my mind

Still…I can feel that something inside me has changed

* * *

><p><strong>Awww…Isn't Elliot the simplest and sweetest thing. I tries to make this a little fluffy. I had a little trouble with this one, and I am not sure how to continue it, but if you guys have some ideas, let me know! This sounds sort of rushed...hmmm...oh well. I hope you like it!<strong>

**Notes**

***1 – Murphy's Law = ANYTHING THAT CAN HAPPEN WILL; SHIT HAPPENS ON A DAILY BASIS**

***2 – For those of you who were wonder what 'OPHUK' is, it's a homemade mix word of 'OPH' and 'FUCK'. 'PH' also makes the same sound as an 'F'…**


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